"President, these are several Final Fantasy project proposals I've put together. I've also teamed up with a well-known screenwriter, and we're planning to tell an origin story for Final Fantasy VII—about the ancient people who once lived on this planet. What do you think?"
Uesugi Yuki, head of the Fifth Development Division, looked at Takayuki with clear anticipation.
Takayuki sat to the side, carefully reading through the Final Fantasy project plans Uesugi Yuki had prepared.
Uesugi Yuki truly loved the story of Final Fantasy VII.
That fantasy setting blended with hints of steampunk and modern technology was incredibly compelling.
And the story itself had plenty of depth left to explore.
Back when Tetsuya Nomura created the Final Fantasy VII narrative, he had intended to build a vast and intricate world view.
He drew inspiration from various myths from another era, and some character names even carried a sense of fate rooted in mythology.
If fully explored, the Final Fantasy VII universe could easily stand on its own as an independent franchise—one potentially as expansive as the entire Final Fantasy series itself.
However, Takayuki also believed that Nomura's later "New Crystal Mythos" in Final Fantasy XIII was equally impressive.
Unfortunately, Nomura was also known for being somewhat… lazy. During the later stages of Final Fantasy XIII's development, progress slowed noticeably.
Investors weren't willing to wait. In the end, they decisively removed him from the project and replaced him with the more compliant Hajime Tabata.
Switching directors mid-project was a major taboo.
No matter how strong a franchise was, a sudden change in leadership could easily turn it into a failure.
Different directors had different personalities, philosophies, and creative priorities.
Uesugi Yuki seemed to have drawn inspiration from Mickford's recently announced "Infinite World."
In his own project plan, he also incorporated the concept of "infinity."
More precisely—a limited infinity.
Uesugi Yuki planned to lead a team of one thousand developers to create a massive world that could easily provide players with hundreds of hours of gameplay.
This world would be far larger than typical open-world games—reaching thousands of square kilometers.
He also intended to leverage the latest AI development technologies to reduce resource consumption as much as possible, while still preserving the fun of the game.
Then, inspired by a sudden idea, he added a construction system to the game.
That said, it wasn't entirely spontaneous.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was already in development, and as a department head, Uesugi Yuki was naturally aware of his colleagues' progress.
He had a general understanding of Tears of the Kingdom's core gameplay philosophy.
This time, Tears of the Kingdom emphasized player creativity and flexibility.
More freedom was handed over to the player—allowing them to truly traverse sky and land, and even construct tools freely while adventuring through the world.
These mechanics were already quite mature in this world, though not yet fully refined. Tears of the Kingdom itself was a bold experiment.
Uesugi Yuki drew inspiration from that team and wanted to introduce construction mechanics into this Final Fantasy spin-off.
The construction system would allow players to build almost anywhere in the world.
Aside from certain key story locations tied to the main plot, players would be free to do whatever they wanted.
If they wished, Uesugi Yuki even planned a system that would allow players to dig freely into the terrain—permanently altering the landscape of the entire world.
At a glance, Takayuki could immediately sense the familiar "sandbox construction" flavor from another era.
If that so-called Infinite World game were meant to be developed long-term, adding similar construction mechanics would also greatly enhance its appeal.
"This is very good. The idea and creativity here are both excellent."
Takayuki nodded, giving his firm approval.
As a spin-off title—especially one that explored the origins of a long-running series—Takayuki wasn't too worried about the team's storytelling ability.
More importantly, this was an attempt to break new ground on top of an established foundation, and that alone was worth encouraging.
The chance to experience a familiar franchise reimagined in ways unique to this world genuinely excited him.
Receiving such a positive response, Uesugi Yuki became visibly energized.
"Then, President, I'll start arranging personnel to begin detailed planning for this game. As for the budget—"
"You don't need to worry about funding," Takayuki interrupted. "But I'll need to personally oversee every major development milestone."
"Understood!"
Takayuki set aside Uesugi Yuki's proposal and then took out another project plan he had prepared in advance.
"There's another game development plan on my end. I'd like you to handle this one as well."
"What kind of game?" Uesugi Yuki asked curiously.
"This one is the mainline entry for the Final Fantasy XIII series."
"XIII?" Uesugi Yuki's eyes lit up.
Final Fantasy XIII was also one of his favorite storylines.
He had always been drawn to fantasy settings infused with modern technology.
And that was precisely what the Final Fantasy series excelled at.
Liking a project made it easier to pour one's heart into it—and that usually resulted in a better game.
He respectfully accepted the project plan Takayuki handed over.
In this plan, gameplay mechanics weren't the core focus.
This Final Fantasy XIII project evolved from the framework of the original world's Final Fantasy XV, with the primary goal being to tell a complete and coherent story.
The original Final Fantasy XV hadn't handled its open world particularly well.
After some consideration, Takayuki decided to restructure that openness—compressing the overall flow of the game into a more limited scope.
This would heighten narrative tension and make the story feel more urgent and focused.
When Uesugi Yuki opened the first page of the proposal, the outline of Final Fantasy XIII's story immediately caught his eye.
In ancient legends, there existed several gods whose origins were unknown.
The only certainty was that they were gods who loved creation.
Among them were some who cherished humanity and were willing to help humans flourish in this world.
But as time passed, humanity's tendency toward self-destruction—and the shifting relationships among the gods themselves—began to change everything.
And so, a story of destruction and rebirth quietly began.
That was the foundational world view of the game.
It was also carefully designed to connect more seamlessly with the broader Final Fantasy XIII series, aiming to tell its story in a more complete and satisfying way.
As for the main storyline—
It would be an adventure centered on family bonds and love.